The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-11-28
Com mercial Union With Canada.

A considerable proportion of the Canadian
press is in favor OF settling the long-pending
fisheries dispute with the United States by
a commercial union between the two coun-
tries. and the idea is not unfavorably
received in the North, where it has at
tracted some attention from the news
| papers. The conditions of production and
development in the Dominion being so
nearly the same as in large part of our
own country it is not probable that com
mercial union would meet with determined
opposition from any large class on the
American side of the line. At the same
time the prospective advantages of such
union affect a comparatively small class, so
that as whole, where the mere
commercial question is concerned,
the people are almost indifferent.
The articles which Canada has for export
are almost exclusively agricultural, and as
the price for them is fixed blythe demand
in Europe the abolition of the customs line
would not affect anybody. The free adj
mission of Canadian lumber would perhaps
make house building cheaper in Chicago
and other lake cities, and fish would be
cheaper in Northern markets.
Commercial union would of course mean
identical tariff rates, and here the real diff
Guilty in carrying the scheme into effect
arises. If Canada remains politically dis
tinct, all changes of the tariff rates would
necessarily be reached by mutual agree
ment between the two governments, either
having the power of veto on the
action of the other, or else
one must surrender entire con-
troll of the matter to the other In this case
Canada, as the smaller and weaker, would
have to make the surrender, and this would
of course be very offensive to the national
sentiment of her people. 1t would be put
ting in the hands of a foreign power the
right to fix the rate of taxation, which is
certainly the highest prerogative of govern
ment. 1t cannot be believed that Canada
would surrender a power so vital to self
government, nor that the United States
would adopt the ridiculous attitude of allow
ing their little neighbor a veto on their tax
levy. So, leaving Great Britain, Canada's
suzerain, out of the question altogether,
there is little chance of an agreement on
a scheme of commercial union, and
with England's influence thrown against it
there may be said to be none at all. The
connection between England and Canada
is not very strong, the appointment of the
nominal head of the government, who
really has no power, and the control of its
foreign relations being the only vestiges re-
naming of the mother country's authority
over the colony. The latter has built a
tariff fence around itself which excludes
British goods to the same extent that it
does those of other nations, and if, tired of
its own little pen, it breaks down the cross
fence between it and the United States and
so becomes part of the big American pen,
all real connection with England will cease.
A very long step will have been taken to-
ward political annexation.
1t is the hope of the Canadians, or at
least of large number of them, that this
subject will be considered at the conference
soon to begin at Washington, but it is not
at all probable that the British representa-
tives will consent to make it a subject of
negotiation.